President Museveni has Monday made on-spot assessment of the Kampala-Entebbe Expressway on his way to his residence State House, Entebbe.
Photo captions from his aides indicated that Mr. Museveni was on his way from Wakiso District. Going by the President’s facial expressions, he didn’t look impressed by the delays to the project by the contractor, China Construction Communication Company.
Road users of the Expressway are expected to wait longer after the project completion date was deferred to next year due to compensation controversies.
The four-lane toll highway, whose construction commenced in December 2012, was earlier scheduled to be completed by the end of 2016.
Pres’ @KagutaMuseveni makes on-spot assessment of the Entebbe Expressway today on his way from Wakiso to Entebbe State House. @UNRA_UG pic.twitter.com/Hp4t173lfD
— Nakiganda Stacie (@NakigandaStacie) June 19, 2017
According to Mr Mark Ssali, the head public and corporate affairs at the Uganda National Roads Authority (Unra), the road project whose total cost stands at $476m (about Shs1.1trillion) has affected more than 4,500 persons and about 3,100 have been paid so far.
Asked about the total amount spent on compensation, UNRA recently, declined to state the amount, with Mr. Ssali telling a local daily: “It would be inaccurate to pronounce ourselves on this given pending cases, new project affected persons coming up and valuations changing due to revaluations done along the road.”
However, a source close to project compensations said so far, about Shs183b has been paid out whereas about Shs22b is owed to affected persons whose properties are being verified.
A report by Lady Justice Catherine Bamugemereire-led commission of inquiry into mismanagement by the former Unra administration revealed that the road project was delayed by complaints and appeals resulting from compensation.
